help - downloads stalling... (11 posts)

psch Member

I have done this in the past successfully, but for some reason now when I try the download keeps stalling at around 85,000,000 bytes. What's wierd is that it keeps stalling at pretty much exactly the same place. Then I try downloading a second file and the second one stalls at around 28,000,000.

I've tried the resume download command which won't pick the download up (it used to work a treat). I've also tried double-clicking on the file on the desktop. In the general preferences I've checked the keep connections active box and the passive mode transfers box is also checked.

Scott McGuire Administrator

Hi Peter,

My first suggestion would be to try Fetch 5, if you are running a version of Mac OS X that supports it. Fetch 5.0.5 works on Mac OS X 10.2.4 and greater; Fetch 5.1 works on Mac OS X 10.3.9 and later. You can download either of them from http://fetchsoftworks.com/downloads.html .

You can try Fetch 5 for free for 15 days.

Let us know if that works or not, and if not, we'll investigate further. (Or let us know if you are on an olders version of the Mac OS and cannot try Fetch 5.)

psch Member

psch Member

Hi again - I downloaded 5.1 and tried again and managed to replicate the same result. It seems that some of the files download fine (several were successful at 400B) but one file stalls every time at 85MB and the other at 28MB. So it seems that the problem is file specific. I am on a mac, I don't know if that makes a difference. The error message I'm getting is:
"Fetch could not get "xxx.xx" because the FTP server encountered an error accessing a file or folder. If you entered a file name, folder name or URL check that it is correct. Server responded: "Connection closed; transfer aborted. Transferred 282800480 bytes".
I believe I am getting those messages once I try and resume download. I think without exception, once the download has stalled on these two particular problem files the resume download command won't work.

I have tried this on three macs in my house, but we don't have any PCs. The guy I spoke to at the ftp end suggested I try a PC but I don't have that capability handy. Is it possible that it's a mac/pc thing?

psch Member

Hi again - I downloaded 5.1 and tried again and managed to replicate the same result. It seems that some of the files download fine (several were successful at 400B) but one file stalls every time at 85MB and the other at 28MB. So it seems that the problem is file specific. I am on a mac, I don't know if that makes a difference. The error message I'm getting is:
"Fetch could not get "xxx.xx" because the FTP server encountered an error accessing a file or folder. If you entered a file name, folder name or URL check that it is correct. Server responded: "Connection closed; transfer aborted. Transferred 282800480 bytes".
I believe I am getting those messages once I try and resume download. I think without exception, once the download has stalled on these two particular problem files the resume download command won't work.

I have tried this on three macs in my house, but we don't have any PCs. The guy I spoke to at the ftp end suggested I try a PC but I don't have that capability handy. Is it possible that it's a mac/pc thing?

psch Member

Hi again - I downloaded 5.1 and tried again and managed to replicate the same result. It seems that some of the files download fine (several were successful at 400B) but one file stalls every time at 85MB and the other at 28MB. So it seems that the problem is file specific. I am on a mac, I don't know if that makes a difference. The error message I'm getting is:
"Fetch could not get "xxx.xx" because the FTP server encountered an error accessing a file or folder. If you entered a file name, folder name or URL check that it is correct. Server responded: "Connection closed; transfer aborted. Transferred 282800480 bytes".
I believe I am getting those messages once I try and resume download. I think without exception, once the download has stalled on these two particular problem files the resume download command won't work.

I have tried this on three macs in my house, but we don't have any PCs. The guy I spoke to at the ftp end suggested I try a PC but I don't have that capability handy. Is it possible that it's a mac/pc thing?

psch Member

Scott McGuire Administrator

Hi,

A problem that only affects a couple of files repeatedly sounds like it's a problem with the server - either a bad block in the file on the server, or some pattern of data in the file that confuses the server. We think it's unlikely that using a Windows machine would solve the problem.

What you could try is to try to download the files with a different Mac FTP client, such as an Interarchy, or the command line FTP client. That would allow you to rule out Fetch as the problem - if you see the problem with another FTP client on the Mac as well, the problem is likely on the server.